Costa Rican Gopher
Mind of a Scientist
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2008
- Messages
- 28,570
- Reaction score
- 6,896
- Points
- 113
- Elliot: I don't want to get too ahead of myself because Elliot had a huge size advantage tonight but his rebounding was obviously excellent (17 rebs, 7 offensive!) , his hustle continues to be excellent, his body language is much more mature & I really liked the way Pitino created shots for Elliot & got him involved offensively. He's never going to be Kareen Abdul-Jabbar offensively, but big guys develop later in their careers & I've said for a couple years now that he'd be a very, very good player for us as an upper-classman.
- Oto: Last year he played because he did the little things that coaches/players understood, but many fans didn't. Many fans just saw missed shots. This year it's starting to come together for Oto. He's always been an excellent passer, is pretty rugged (our toughest big aside from Elliot imo), hustles, plays good defense & plays an all-round solid, but not spectacular game. Starter or not, he's going to be a major contributor this year & If he can find his stroke he could be a really solid player. I could see them starting Oto all season & at the same time, Oto getting less minutes than King off the bench all season.
- Austin: It's a pleasure watching him play. The things that he brings to the game can't be measured solely in PPG. In addition to his shooting, he's also fearless going to the hoop, plays all conference man defense, is disruptive in the open court with tips/deflections/steals & his overall court savvy is just off the charts.
- Dre Hollins: Dre is Dre, he's a stud & he quietly had 18pts/7rebs/5asts/0tos tonight. I'm really curious to see what his impact is this season? Is he still our go-to guy, an All-B1G type player or is he going to be just a really good player now that he has some other guards to help take the pressure off? Maybe his line tonight answers my question?
- Dre Mathieu: This was really my first time watching him play an entire game. His speed is obvious, he's disruptive defensively, his handle is great, he's a much better passer than I'd anticipated, but he also tends to attack the basket when there's nothing to be had at times. It looked like he got lost in the trees when attacking the basket a few times tonight & I have to think that will be magnified when B1G play starts. I was really impressed with how he adapted his game. II'd heard he was a "take it to the hole", score first guy, but he helped the team win with his ball handling/distribution/defense tonight.
- King: Kid can score! It's sad that we have to rely on him as a PF because he's playing out of position imo. I see a talented gunner that's learning to play team basketball/play under control & ideally is suited to the 6th man spot on a good team. What's undeniable is that he can score & we can always use that, especially after the last couple years where we had dry spells that killed us if Dre came out of the game. He's a talented player who I hope will work hard & earn the starting job at some point.
- Malik Smith: Malik's not as good as Gopher fans thought he was 2 months ago, but he's not as bad as man fans currently think he is either. He's mostly one dimensional in that he's not going to beat anyone off the dribble & I've heard he's not a great man defender. I saw some really good things though in the pressure defense where he got some deflections, a steal & tallied a couple nice assists (solid ball movement). There's no doubt in my mind that he'll get hot & win us a few games this season. The challenge is that this isn't FIU & when he's cold he can't just keep jacking them up all night.
- Maverick: A lot of people predicted Mav would be pushed out when Pitino came in but on the contrary I think this is a great system for him because unlike Tubby's system where he would come in as the PG & have to run the show, Pitino's system is about having multiple ball handlers & when Mav's just another guy who can handle the ball in a supporting role & knock down a few shots he should do well.
- Buggs: Those that thought he was our new PF are getting a rude awakening. He's not a physical player at all, rather a finesse/jump shooter/transition guy with lot's of untapped physical ability, but he's playing like a Freshman, especially when the game slows down & he has to think instead of react. Don't give up on Buggs yet though, he will be a player imo.
- Kendall Shell: Earned his name in the box score & I just wanted to mention how great he looks. As the announcers said (paraphrasing), "Mo Walker gets the press for losing 60 lbs, but Kendall Shell has lost 30 lbs". A six footer dropping from 215 lbs to 185 lbs really shows Shell's commitment to playing for the U. Hats off to thee Kendall.
DNP:
- Mo Walker: Mo's done an admirable job of getting into shape & I really think he'll do well. Understand though that Mo isn't a power player. He's a finesse guy, all about tip-ins/hooks/jumpers/finger rolls. He's a big & can succeed in this system, but he'll never be a banger & isn't likely to replace Elliot as the starter at Center. Ever.
- Wally Ellenson: I know it's sacrilege but I think he's most likely to transfer. I just don't see how/where he fits in? He's a gunner, who doesn't seem to be flourishing in a system where he's not the best player on the court. He's young though so hopefully he'll figure it out.
- McNeil: Much like how fans always want the back-up QB to start, they also tend to assume the new Freshman or Juco signee will automatically leap-frog existing players they don't like. A lot of people penciled McNeil in above Mav, but the reality is Mav has been through the B1G battles, taken his lumps & understands his role, where-as McNeil is a true Freshman who's head is spinning. I hope we can red-shirt him because I think he'll be a very good player for us down the road.
- Oto: Last year he played because he did the little things that coaches/players understood, but many fans didn't. Many fans just saw missed shots. This year it's starting to come together for Oto. He's always been an excellent passer, is pretty rugged (our toughest big aside from Elliot imo), hustles, plays good defense & plays an all-round solid, but not spectacular game. Starter or not, he's going to be a major contributor this year & If he can find his stroke he could be a really solid player. I could see them starting Oto all season & at the same time, Oto getting less minutes than King off the bench all season.
- Austin: It's a pleasure watching him play. The things that he brings to the game can't be measured solely in PPG. In addition to his shooting, he's also fearless going to the hoop, plays all conference man defense, is disruptive in the open court with tips/deflections/steals & his overall court savvy is just off the charts.
- Dre Hollins: Dre is Dre, he's a stud & he quietly had 18pts/7rebs/5asts/0tos tonight. I'm really curious to see what his impact is this season? Is he still our go-to guy, an All-B1G type player or is he going to be just a really good player now that he has some other guards to help take the pressure off? Maybe his line tonight answers my question?
- Dre Mathieu: This was really my first time watching him play an entire game. His speed is obvious, he's disruptive defensively, his handle is great, he's a much better passer than I'd anticipated, but he also tends to attack the basket when there's nothing to be had at times. It looked like he got lost in the trees when attacking the basket a few times tonight & I have to think that will be magnified when B1G play starts. I was really impressed with how he adapted his game. II'd heard he was a "take it to the hole", score first guy, but he helped the team win with his ball handling/distribution/defense tonight.
- King: Kid can score! It's sad that we have to rely on him as a PF because he's playing out of position imo. I see a talented gunner that's learning to play team basketball/play under control & ideally is suited to the 6th man spot on a good team. What's undeniable is that he can score & we can always use that, especially after the last couple years where we had dry spells that killed us if Dre came out of the game. He's a talented player who I hope will work hard & earn the starting job at some point.
- Malik Smith: Malik's not as good as Gopher fans thought he was 2 months ago, but he's not as bad as man fans currently think he is either. He's mostly one dimensional in that he's not going to beat anyone off the dribble & I've heard he's not a great man defender. I saw some really good things though in the pressure defense where he got some deflections, a steal & tallied a couple nice assists (solid ball movement). There's no doubt in my mind that he'll get hot & win us a few games this season. The challenge is that this isn't FIU & when he's cold he can't just keep jacking them up all night.
- Maverick: A lot of people predicted Mav would be pushed out when Pitino came in but on the contrary I think this is a great system for him because unlike Tubby's system where he would come in as the PG & have to run the show, Pitino's system is about having multiple ball handlers & when Mav's just another guy who can handle the ball in a supporting role & knock down a few shots he should do well.
- Buggs: Those that thought he was our new PF are getting a rude awakening. He's not a physical player at all, rather a finesse/jump shooter/transition guy with lot's of untapped physical ability, but he's playing like a Freshman, especially when the game slows down & he has to think instead of react. Don't give up on Buggs yet though, he will be a player imo.
- Kendall Shell: Earned his name in the box score & I just wanted to mention how great he looks. As the announcers said (paraphrasing), "Mo Walker gets the press for losing 60 lbs, but Kendall Shell has lost 30 lbs". A six footer dropping from 215 lbs to 185 lbs really shows Shell's commitment to playing for the U. Hats off to thee Kendall.
DNP:
- Mo Walker: Mo's done an admirable job of getting into shape & I really think he'll do well. Understand though that Mo isn't a power player. He's a finesse guy, all about tip-ins/hooks/jumpers/finger rolls. He's a big & can succeed in this system, but he'll never be a banger & isn't likely to replace Elliot as the starter at Center. Ever.
- Wally Ellenson: I know it's sacrilege but I think he's most likely to transfer. I just don't see how/where he fits in? He's a gunner, who doesn't seem to be flourishing in a system where he's not the best player on the court. He's young though so hopefully he'll figure it out.
- McNeil: Much like how fans always want the back-up QB to start, they also tend to assume the new Freshman or Juco signee will automatically leap-frog existing players they don't like. A lot of people penciled McNeil in above Mav, but the reality is Mav has been through the B1G battles, taken his lumps & understands his role, where-as McNeil is a true Freshman who's head is spinning. I hope we can red-shirt him because I think he'll be a very good player for us down the road.
to Lehigh.
